ALTERNATIVE ZONING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

In studies across the country, Missing Middle Housing is not the solution to the housing crisis. 

​

CHICAGO

• Research shows  a market gap in Chicago – the cost to build/rehab missing-middle types often exceeds prices affordable to middle-income households. In short, builders can’t make the economics work to deliver genuinely affordable missing-middle units without subsidies or incentives. 

• By phasing out single-family zoning, Missing Middle is setting off a storm of new, expensive development.

​​

MINNEAPOLIS

An analysis of Minneapolis' 2040 Plan of upzoning and eliminating single‑family housing had this key finding:

• The zoning change resulted in a 3% to 5% increase in sale prices of affected single-family parcels compared to unaffected ones, raising questions about affordability..  (IDEAS/RePEc+1)

We propose a slate of housing proposals that we call: "Alternative Zoning for Affordable Housing" (AltZoning). These alternatives are now gaining ground in cities and suburbs across the U.S. as housing prices rise and climate change sets in. They emphasize building walkable communities, encouraging alternatives to driving, investing in subsidized affordable housing, and selectively introducing denser residential development in transit-adjacent neighborhoods

​

Develop Transporation Corriders

• Focus growth in downtown centers along major transportation

• Invest in subsidized affordable housing for low-income households

• Preserve existing affordable housing​

​

Converting Vacant Office Space into Housing

• Arlington County has a high office vacancy rate since the pandemic. The office vacancy surge and housing shortage intersect and its worth exploring incentives for developers to converting offices to housing. (report)

​

​

Adopt Fairfax County's Affordable Rental Housing Opportunities

“Committed Affordable” refers to rental housing where rents are guaranteed by agreement with federal, state, or local governments, to be affordable to households with low- and moderate-income. Arlington County has yet to consider a similar program and instead is sending young professionals to Fairfax County.  (read more)